Mary made this Italian country style cake from a Ray McVinnie recipe. It’s a batter cake chock full of apples.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF) and grease and line a 23cm (9″) springform cake tin with baking paper. Beat 100g (3½ oz) of softened butter with 100g (3½ oz) of caster sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in 3 eggs. Stir in 2 teaspoons of toasted fennel seeds, the zest of 1 lemon, 100g (3½ oz) of plain flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Slice and core 3 large apples then stir them into the batter making sure they’re evenly distributed. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, smooth the top and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until very well cooked. Remove from the oven and serve warm in wedges or cold and dusted with icing sugar.
michelle picker cooks 